Toy pistol



(No Model.)

L. J. INGERSOLL.

TOY PISTOL.

Patented Jan. 5

I I .dttorneys WW W 9 m7 J UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

LUTHER JUDSOX IXGERSOLL, OF DENVER, COLORADO.

TOY PlSTO L.

Patent No. 333,635, dated January 5, 1886.

. Serial No. 179,15l. (X0 model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it; known that- I, Ltrrnnn J. INGERSOLL, a. citizen of the United States. residingat Denver, in the county of Arapahoe and State of Colorado, have invented a new and useful [inprovemcnt in Toy Pistols, ofwhieh the follow ing is a. specification, reference being had to the accompanying drawings.

My invention has relation to improvements in toy pistols; and the novelty consists in the construction, combination, and arrangement of the various parts for service, substantially as hereinafter fully set forth, and specifically pointed out in the claims.

Theinventiou has for itsobjectthc provision ofa toy pistol adapted to shoot a marble or other smali object; to provide means for bold ing and guiding the marble or other object to enable the device to be held at any position, slanting downwardly in a vertical position, or ahorizontal position; to increase and vary the force of the holding devices on the marble, and to combine simplicity and durability of construction with thorough effectiveness and ease of operation and cheapness of manufacture.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a perspective view of a toy piston embodying my invention. Fig. 2 is a longitudinal vertical sectional view on the line 5c of Fig. 4. Fig. 3 is a detail View of one of the spring holdingarnis. Fig. l is a front elevation with the spring arms or loops in section.

Like letters of reference denote corresponding parts in all the figures of the drawings, referring to which- A designates my improved toy pistol, comprising a handle or stock, B, having a recess, 11,3. spring-actuated plunger or piston, C, a trigger, D, and the spring arms or retainers E for holding the marble. The plunger or piston C has a head, 0, a series of teeth, 0', and a coiled spring, G, arranged around the pluuger and bearing against the head or a collar on the plunger, and an abutment formed in a recess in the stock I The trigger has two arms, (Z d, one of which, 12, is normally pressed into engagement with one of a series of notches in the plunger by means of a spring, d, while the other arm, (1', projects beyond the stock or handle, and can be operated by the hand of the user to release the arm (I from engagement with the spring-actuated plunger, whieh acts to propel or force a marble or other object arranged and held between the retainers or spring-arms E. The spring-arms E are arrangedon opposite sides of the spring-actuated plunger and parallel therewith or flared outwardly therefrom. The arms project be yond the end of the handle or casing B and the plunger 0, and are secured at one end to the handle or casing at some distance from the front end thereof.

The spring-arms E are each preferably made of a. piece ofspringwire, doubled so as to provide two pi ces, 0, arranged a distance from. each other to provide a guide for the marble or other object. The free ends of each spring arm or loop E are rigidly secured or pivotally connected to the easingor handle Pi. while the Outer connected ends thereof are bent or flared outwardly to permit of the free passage of the marble, as will be readily understood.

f designates inclined grooves formed or cut in the casing or handle, in which are seated the longitudinal pieces 0, which form the spring arms or loop E. which are normally flared out of the line of the handle or casing by reason of the spring-power inherent in the wire.

I provide means for varying the force with which the spring loops orguides bear upon the marble or otherohject contained between them by placing an inelosing-band. G, overthe rear ends of the said Springs and giving said band the desired position or number ofturns or varying the force with which it bears against said loops or guides, thus forcingthe outer ends thereof inwardly toward each other to a great or or less degree, according to the tension of said band, as will be very readily understood.

The operation of my invention is obvious from the foregoing description, taken in connection with the drawings. The spring-aetuated plunger 0 is forced within the casing or handle until the trigger engages one of the series of notches near the outer end of said plunger-rod, when the marble or other object is placed in the spring loops orguides,in close the plunger, when the trigger is pulled, thus forcing the plunger outwardly and expelling juxtaposition to or contact with the head of I00 the marble or other object, the spring-loops serving as guides to the movement thereof and permitting its free and ready discharge.

I do not limit myself to the particular mechanism shown and described for actuating the plunger or piston, nor to the particular form of the spring arms or loops secured to the pistol casing or handle, as I am aware that many changes therein maybe made withoutdeparo iug from the principle or sacrificing the ad vantages of my invention.

By means of the spring loops or guides the marble is held in proper position at any distance from the plunger, and the pistol can be aimed in any direction without danger of the marble becoming disengaged, said springs also permitting marbles or other objects of varying sizes to be employed with equal advantages. while at the same time they serve as guides and can be regulated to vary the force with which they bear on the marble or other object.

In lieu of the elastic band for inclosing and varying the tension of the guide'arms, a cord or metallic band may be passed around the rearends of the stock and the said guide arms or loops, which loops may be either rigidly or pivotally connected to the stock or handle; and in lieu of being made and bent from asinglc piece ofwire, they may be made ofa single strip of sheet or other metal, which may be bent or groovcd,as desired,to form guides for the project-ile.

Aspring, either coiled or flat, may be secured upon the handle and arranged to bear on the rear ends of the guides or loops to keep thesame under proper tension, as will be very readily understood.

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. The combination, with a pistol-barrel and the expelling-plunger, of yielding retainingarms secured to the barrel independent of the plunger and projecting beyond the same, to

retain and guide the projectile between said arms, substantially as described.

2. The combination ofa pistol-barrel, the expelIingpIungcr, and laterally-yielding retaining-arms pivoted to the barrel independent of the plunger, and arranged on opposite sides thereof and beyond the same, to retain and guide the projectile between the arms, sub stantially as described.

3. The combination ofa pistol-barrcl, the expolling-plunger, yielding arms pivoted to the barrel independent of the plunger, and a band encompassing the barrel and rear ends of the arms to regulate the tension of the latter, substantially as described.

4. The combination of a pistol-barrcl, the expolling-plunger,laterally-yieldingspring-arms pivoted to the barrel independent of the plan ger and on opposite sides thereof, and an elastic band encompassing the rear ends of the arms and the pistol barrel, substantially as described.

5. Asa new article ofmanufaetnre, a toy pistol comprising a casing and barrel, a springactuatcd plunger having teeth, a trigger pivoted in the casi n g and adapted to engage the teeth ofthe plunger, laterally-yielding arms pivoted to the barrel independent of the plunger and on opposite sides thereof, and an elastic band encompassing the barrel and arms, substantially as described.

6. The combination, with a pistol-barrel and the expelling-plunger, of yielding arms pivoted to the barrel independentlyof the plunger, each arm being bent from a single piece of springwire, substantially as described.

In testimony that 1 claim the foregoing as my own I have hereto affixed my signature in presence of two witnesses.

LUTHER JUDSOX INGERSOLL.

Witnesses:

J. T. CLARKE, Mrs. H. S. MORGAN. 

